Speaking of worldview formation (as we did a few days ago), a study by the Pew Research Center finds religious identity stronger among Muslims than Christians almost everywhere in the world.

The question was:

Do you think of yourself first as a [citizen of your country] or first as a Muslim/Christian/Hindu?++

Everywhere except Indonesia and France – where the chances are nearly even – Muslims are far more likely to identify themselves first as Muslims, then as citizens.

Worldwide, the picture is nearly reversed among Christians, albeit with a somewhat greater range of response. Only Nigerians (by 53 - 43%) are more likely to self-identify as Christians first and citizens second. In the US, the proverbial Christian nation, 48% think of themselves as Americans first and Christians second; 42% say they are Christians first and Americans second.

I’ve given myself a headache thinking about how this finding reflects people’s perceptions about the kingdom of God. What do folks think when we say something like, The Kingdom of God is Our Permanent Address?

This is why developing a biblical worldview is so important to us at InsideWork.

• What does the biblical narrative reveal about who we are first and foremost?
• What do we owe the Body of Christ?
• What do we owe the body politic?

Answers from clerics and pols (of whatever stripe) are interesting but far from fascinating compared to the much bigger answers of the biblical text. The difference an order of magnitude like the difference between reading a travel magazine and getting your passport stamped.

++ The only appreciable Hindu sample in the study came from India, where 90 percent think for themselves as Indians first, Hindus second.